Massimo Vitali: The View from Above
The Baram House spoke to Mr. Massimo Vitali, an Italian photographer exploring the fused energy of people, places, and the change of seasons.
Music curated by Dea Karina.
Cefalù Orange Yellow Blue (2008)
When did you begin taking photos? What inspired you to begin?
I began taking photos when I was really young and obviously it was mostly about the fascination with technique. During my school days it was also a way to differentiate myself from my peers.
After working as a photojournalist, you worked as a cinematographer. Tell us a little bit about that experience.
Cinematography was a very difficult experience from one point of view, but also a good experience from a technical point of view because movies and videos somehow use a more refined technique than photography. In other words, I learned a lot.
Picnic Allée (2000)
Do you use any extra lighting or equipment when you take your photographs?
I have been using extra lighting, namely flashes, in particular situations like the discos, but normally I don’t want to make my process too heavy and too complicated since it is already so.
On average, how many shots do you take per session?
When I used to shoot exclusively in film, I shot maybe 10 films per day. With digital, obviously that’s changed a bit, but I still only shoot maybe 40 or 50 images in a day.
De Haan Kiss (2001)
What editing procedure, if any at all, do you go through to finalize your photographs?
Because I don’t take so many photographs, the editing process is fairly simple. There is always a picture that stands out. There is always something that you didn’t notice while you were shooting and that’s the choice.
Piscinas Caneiros (2018)
We’ve read that you shoot both film and digital photography. Can you explain the benefits and challenges of each as they are applied to your specific style?
I have been shooting film until 3 years ago and now I am only shooting digital. The possibility of technical cameras with 150 million pixel back is totally sufficient for even my large format prints. Maybe I could use a larger chip but the pixels are enough. Of course this is what I said when I was using a 100 mega pixel back, and now I see that 150 is so much better, so there will always be something better coming out. I’m not a fan of film at all costs because film (and film cameras and lenses) did have lots of issues that one could really only solve with hybrid process (scanning the negatives).
Rosignano Solvay (1995)
Many of your photographs are set at the beach. What is so fascinating about beach scenes?
I have been photographing a lot on beaches and I’ve been wrongly called a “beach photographer,” but I do this only because it’s a setting where it is so much easier for me to get out of the people what I’m interested in.
Viareggio Air Show (1995)
Much of your work is a unique and un-categorizable fusion of landscape and portraiture, capturing masses of people interacting within vast space. How did your style evolve? What about the “masses” captivates you and inspires documentation?
In the history of art, every notable painting pre and during the Renaissance was a mix of landscape, architecture, portraits, and figures, so I’m not doing anything new. The Italian landscape, the Italian history of art, the Italian culture, all contribute to my way of working and seeing the world. One may say that this was new to photography.
Les Menuires Quartett 3 (2003)
Who has supported you in your career? What kinds of support do you think are most helpful for the young artist?
In my career—which started really late in my early 50s—I never received specific support other than galleries selling my pictures. This gave me the idea that somebody out there was interested in my work and it pushed me to pursue my vision. It seems very simple, but the moment that you show your work and that collectors are supporting it, it really makes a difference.
Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. Over the past 22 years, he has developed a new approach to portraying the world, illuminating the apotheosis of the Herd, expressing and commenting through one of the most intriguing, palpable forms of contemporary art—photography. He lives and works in Lucca, Italy, and sometimes in Berlin, Germany.